UK to close ALL travel corridors from Monday

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The UK Government has just announced that ALL travel corridors will be closed from 4am on Monday.

This means that, irrespective of where you are returning from, you will need to quarantine for 10 days.

Unless you live in Scotland, the ‘test to release’ scheme will remain in place for arrivals from selected countries. This allows you to leave quarantine after five days if you test negative for coronavirus.

As already announced, all arrivals to the UK will also need to show a negative covid test on arrival from Monday.

This move is in response to the spread of new coronavirus mutations, with the ‘Brazil’ strain already starting to appear in other countries.

The ‘travel corridor’ list currently comprises:

Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Australia
Bahrain
Barbados
Bermuda
Bhutan
British Antarctic Territory
British Indian Ocean Territory
British Virgin Islands
Brunei
Cambodia
Cayman Islands
Channel Islands
Cuba
Dominica
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands
Federated States of Micronesia
Fiji
Finland
Gibraltar
Greek islands: Corfu, Crete, Kos, Rhodes, Zakynthos
Greenland
Grenada
Hong Kong
Iceland
Ireland
Isle of Man
Japan
Kiribati
Laos
Macao
Malaysia
Maldives
Mongolia
Montserrat
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Northern Mariana Islands
Norway
Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands
Rwanda
Samoa
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Solomon Islands
South Korea
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Sri Lanka
St Barthélemy
St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
St Kitts and Nevis
St Lucia
St Pierre and Miquelon
St Vincent and the Grenadines
Taiwan
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Tonga
Turks and Caicos Islands
Vanuatu
Vietnam

The official ‘travel corridor’ list, which does not yet reflect this change, is on this page of the Government website.

Category

General

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

Craig says:

15 Jan15 January 17:36

Just finished my second week volunteering on the vaccine front. Lots of care home staff and military this week with most of the rest of the over 80s. It’s been challenging, the snow yesterday made things really tough, split thumbs and sore feet I can cope with to see the look on peoples faces after the jab. Back to the day job tomorrow for a rest then the same again next week. Steadily building up the group of volunteers so we aren’t doing more than 6 hours a week each. So as far as I’m concerned this is a positive step that combined with vaccination and national restrictions should make a real difference soon.
- Andrew says:
  
  15 Jan15 January 17:40
  
  Yes, it does seem like we’re turning the tide now, with staying home and an excellent vaccination rate.
- YC says:
  
  15 Jan15 January 17:41
  
  How do you sign up to volunteer?
  - Craig says:
    
    15 Jan15 January 17:45
    
    There’s quite a few places but this was a case of having connections to the surgery. My wife is one of the practice nurses so it’s been bring your husband to work week!
    
    https://nhsvolunteerresponders.org.uk
    
    The currant bun is also running a Jabs Army campaign!!
  - Lumma says:
    
    15 Jan15 January 17:47
    
    https://nhsvolunteerresponders.org.uk/vaccinationvolunteers
- Lyn says:
  
  15 Jan15 January 18:09
  
  Well done Craig, and thank you!
  - ankomonkey says:
    
    16 Jan16 January 15:13
    
    Well done Craig and Tracey 🙂 I hope you both win a pair of the double-monk shoes in return for your efforts.
- Mike says:
  
  15 Jan15 January 18:13
  
  Craig – thank you for your efforts. I took my 91 year old father for his first jab at a chemist in Macclesfield ( 50 mile drive) it was amazingly well organised due to support from volunteers
  - James Vickers says:
    
    15 Jan15 January 19:38
    
    I agree with that is very well organised and committed effort. I was worried about having the vaccine but they put me at ease and only had the usual jab side effects
- Cat says:
  
  16 Jan16 January 02:08
  
  Craig – you rock!
  Thank you.
  - Yuff says:
    
    16 Jan16 January 12:26
    
    +1
Oli says:

15 Jan15 January 17:39

There are quite a bit of countries (in Africa etc) for which test for release can’t be used, not just South Africa and Portugal. See https://www.gov.uk/guidance/transport-measures-to-protect-the-uk-from-variant-strains-of-covid-19#travel-bans-to-the-uk—banned-countries
- Oli says:
  
  15 Jan15 January 17:40
  
  not just Portugal and South America I meant.
Colin MacKinnon says:

15 Jan15 January 17:46

As a reminder, test to release doesn’t apply in Scotland. My 10 days up at 10:15pm tomorrow!
- Rob says:
  
  15 Jan15 January 18:00
  
  Updated, thanks
  - Craig says:
    
    15 Jan15 January 20:46
    
    It doesn’t apply in Wales or Northern Ireland either, it’s always been England only.
Shaz says:

15 Jan15 January 17:48

But you can still travel for work on a weekly basis and not be required to quarantine or have a negative test result?
- Rob says:
  
  15 Jan15 January 18:00
  
  You’ll need to wait for the small print. I expect you will be OK.
yorkieflyer says:

15 Jan15 January 18:05

B***er, that wrecks my RTW ticket to South Georgia, Antarctic, Micronesia and Diego Garcia
- Craig says:
  
  15 Jan15 January 18:56
  
  Flown over the first, landed at the second and stayed overnight at the fourth. You’re not missing much!
  - Andrew M says:
    
    15 Jan15 January 19:03
    
    Overnight on Diego Garcia? That’s quite an achievement! You weren’t subjected to extraordinary rendition to black site by the CIA were you?
    - Craig says:
      
      15 Jan15 January 19:49
      
      Fortunately not, I do remember a piece of paper explaining all the excruciating ways to die if you went swimming.
      - Andrew M says:
        
        15 Jan15 January 20:03
        
        How did you get in? Government or military business? That’s the only way AFIK.
  - Craig says:
    
    15 Jan15 January 20:55
    
    I was in the RAF, took a C130 in.
    - Andrew M says:
      
      15 Jan15 January 21:27
      
      OK, impressive!
  - Chris Heyes says:
    
    15 Jan15 January 22:40
    
    Craig I’m impressed studied Diego Garcia in my youth, How the British Government’s stitched the population up Threatening, killing their animals, and finally deporting them temporally (but was deceit never to allow them back) Because the Americans wanted a Military Base there. Kept up with it. Has successive Government’s have denied them right of return, even though the islanders have won every court battle
    The latest Government excuse is the island is sinking so it would be to dangerous lol
    I CAN IMAGINE1000s of Americans floundering in sea lol
    - Colin MacKinnon says:
      
      15 Jan15 January 22:48
      
      Read about the Highland Clearances and see what Scots did to their own folk! Let alone what governments do to others.
      And the promises of land to soldiers, like my grandfather, in return for fighting in WW1.
James says:

15 Jan15 January 21:15

Only 12 months too late
NigelthePensioner says:

15 Jan15 January 21:25

Covid: UK to close all travel corridors from Monday
Published1 hour ago

About damn time too!!!! Its only taken many emails and the realisation that this was a complete farce in the face of intelligence from the front line. What idiots would allow people to mix with international tourists and return to the UK unchallanged?? Politicians, that’s who; and maybe others with financial agendas.
Anyway, now its sorted, but this should have come in from before the Xmas / New Year “fun in the sun” fortnight.
I hope not too many of our Gang suffer as a result……..
- Yorkieflyer says:
  
  15 Jan15 January 23:10
  
  Err it’s already rampant here? Perhaps closing the stable door after the horse has bolted???
Jan M says:

15 Jan15 January 23:05

Whatever the merits of ending the travel corridor scheme, I’m pleased to see that they will be removing business executives from the exempted professions category at the same time.